The Labor of Love

2 September 2007

greatlakeshoops.com

During a holiday weekend designed for rest, some of Michigan's top teams and players chose to work on their games in Flint. Here's a rundown:

Flint Carman Ainsworth lost in the final to Team Detroit. Despite the loss, CA's perimeter is awfully strong, particularly with 6'1" senior Jon Lee. Lee can seemingly do whatever he pleases on the court. He can shoot, pass, defend, and take it to the rack. He struggled defensively against Eric Evans, but Evans struggled defending the bigger Lee. Alan Sharp, a 6'1" junior transfer from Flint Northern, showed some dangerous skill in transition, but still needs to work on his outside shot. Reggie Stallings, a 6'3" senior, looked good and had a nice one-hander over a 6'5" defender on Saturday. Demondre Chapman, a 6'6" sophomore, shows a lot of strength and athleticism, but leaves a lot to be desired in terms of touch. He's very similar to Kalamazoo Central's Doug Anderson. Jaylen Larry, the other 6'6" sophomore, shows good touch, but he's definitely not Chapman athletically. Kieon Arkwright, a 6'0" senior, looks like the team's floor general. He's a selfless player, but can nail the three if needed. Senior Ahmad Cheers and sophomore Glen Cosey provide exceptional depth in the backcourt. An interesting recent development is the arrival of 6'5" junior Terrance Keaton from the International Academy of Flint. Keaton played okay. He's got better touch than he showed, can crash the boards, and should be a great addition to CA's post on defense. He blocked a lot of shots against Team Detroit. Carman could be in for a big season with their new found depth.

The Hamady Hawks weren't at full strength with Darrius Brady focused on football, but they got a nice shot in the arm with Flint Central graduate and Delta CC recruit Stephan Dotson. The 6'6" forward showed some good bounce and should be a nice addition at Delta. The other notable Hawk was 5'10" senior Demarkus Jackson. Jackson took his match-up with high division one recruit Eric Evans very seriously and even drove by the Detroit Northwestern star a handful of times. Evans proved that he's the superior player, but Jackson played tough.

The Wildcats over at Flint Northwestern are extremely guard heavy. Chatavius Turner, a 5'9" junior, is a slick point guard and his exceptional play will allow 5'10" junior Deandre Upchurch to roam the wing more. Upchurch looked great in the morning, but seemed a little slow in the afternoon. They will make for a great backcourt, but the post is a little weak. Devon Weaver, a bouncy 6'5" senior, could fill that role, but he was playing with some other team. Weaver did very well and canned a few threes.

Flint Affiliation had probably the most talented player in mid-Michigan in the 2009 class in 6'2" wing Keenan Coleman. Coleman is a great slasher and exceptional at finishing in traffic with contact. He had a great dunk in transition, which showed off his division one athleticism. D'Chawn Glover, a 5'8" junior, and 5'9" junior Quindoin Watkins, both of Flint Northern, also looked good.

The Mustangs of Clio played hard, but were a little out of their league. James Hodge, a 5'10" junior, played really well against some good competition and Christian Canon, a 6'2" senior, looked slim and showed a lot of bounce. They played hard and should be competitive in the Metro this season.

Some impressive guys outside mid-Michigan showed up, namely 5'10" senior Eric Evans out of Detroit Northwestern and recent Grand Valley State commitment, Nick West. Evans seemed to be playing at half speed on Saturday, but showed up against CA in the final by knocking down several threes and dropping some pretty sick dimes. Every time he fired a three off the dribble or in someone's face it was money, but when set he sometimes missed the rim altogether. He's an unbelievable talent. West, a 6'8" senior from Royal Oak, has good touch inside and his height makes him dangerous on defense. Josh Collins, a 5'10" senior from Detroit Douglas, is a quick ball-handler and was a great compliment to Evans in the backcourt. West, Evans, Collins and a few guys I recognized from Team Detroit had a pretty easy run to the championship.

Donovan Kirk, a 6'7" junior from Detroit Country Day, looked impressive in 16-under play. Good bounce, decent touch and seems content to play his role. I see why he's so highly regarded.

Anthony Manno, a 6'2" junior for Dearborn Divine Child, and Rasheed Wright, a 6'2" junior from Detroit Northwestern, looked fantastic. Manno is the kind of guy that exploits every mistake his opponent makes and Wright is a thoroughbred in transition.